Son of Norway’s crown princess, Marius Borg Høiby, charged with rape, sexual assault

The eldest son of Norway’s crown princess has been charged with multiple counts of rape, sexual assault and bodily harm after a months-long investigation of a case that involved a “double-digit” number of alleged victims, Oslo police announced Friday.

Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 amid allegations of rape and on preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage.

Oslo Police Attorney Andreas Kruszewski said Høiby was cooperative during police questioning. He said evidence in the case was drawn from sources including text messages, witness testimonies and police searches.

Høiby, 28, was born from a relationship before Mette-Marit’s 2001 marriage to Haakon. He was raised alongside his stepsiblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 21, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 19, but has no official public role. According to Høiby’s defense attorney, Petar Sekulic, his client previously lived with the royal family but now lives in a separate house nearby.

The charges against Høiby include one case of rape involving intercourse and two cases of rape without intercourse, four cases of sexual assault and two cases of bodily harm, Kruszewski said at a news conference.

“I cannot go into further detail about the number of victims in the case beyond confirming that it is a double-digit number,” he said.

Sekulic told the Associated Press in an email that Høiby was “absolutely taking the accusations very seriously, but doesn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing in most of the cases — especially the cases regarding sexual abuse and violence.”

The royal palace did not immediately respond to an emailed request from the AP seeking comment.

Høiby remains free pending a possible trial and is entitled to a presumption of innocence until a court rules otherwise.